Hesitabt about security

[Ccort]

My chicks are about ready to move outside for the evenings. However, I have heard countless stories of beloved chickens getting killed by raccoons and opposums around here. I am obviously trying to predator proof everything but am new to this. It seems like everyone who keeps chickens has them murdered before long. Is this the case? If so, is there a good method for letting them stay out during the day but keeping them inside in a cage of some sort at night?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I free range mine, inside an electric fence.

You have two choices. You can cage your birds in, with 2x4s, hardware cloth, electric fencing and the like, plus a roof overhead, and only extremely rarely lose a bird to predation.

Or you can let your birds out of prison, and accept that some measure will be killed by the local predators - I lose one or three a season.

There are myriad middle grounds in between.

The important thing to remember is that the only way to reduce risk to 0 is to NOT HAVE CHICKENS, and that completely free ranging is ringing the dinner bell. Ultimately, no one and no thing gets out of life alive, its eat or be eaten. All you can do is manage risk, play the odds, and understand that - given enough hands/rolls/spins at the table, the house ALWAYS wins.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I imprison mine because there are too many predators here. Like, all of them. Here. On my property.

I've not lost one to a predator yet, but I do wish I could just let them run loose all day long. I compromise by giving them a large, covered foraging area that is fenced with electric netting. But I also let them out onto the property regularly while I very actively supervise.

Figure out your predator load and go from there. But free range vs penned chickens is a personal choice (and an oft divisive topic).

 

[nuthatched]

You can either build a massive, secure run or accept that everything eats chicken. Your job is to give them the best life possible but you often can't control the end, few chickens die of old age, they usually succumb to illness, injury or disease if they don't get got by a predator.
I'll admit, I'm not as compassionate as I could be when it comes to losing chickens, they lean more towards livestock than pets for me. That doesn't mean I don't keep them in a clean, secure coop or don't care about them, I'm just aware that I do have predators and it will happen eventually.

 

[samanthaoverton]

Depends on the situation.. mine are fenced(large area) and locked in their house overnight. I have no choice. My ass hole white trash neighbors let their dogs run everywhere. Even though I'm surrounded by woods those stupid dogs come here (during the day). And there are; coons, coyotes, possums and fox here at night. One time I had a starving coyote polish all but one off. But not since the fence and the new coop. I've had the same flock for two years. My ducks were the casualty(neighbors dogs, broad daylight) that spun off my predator paranoia. You can predator proof successfully.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Depends on the situation.. mine are fenced(large area) and locked in their house overnight. I have no choice. My ass hole white trash neighbors let their dogs run everywhere. Even though I'm surrounded by woods those stupid dogs come here (during the day). And there are; coons, coyotes, possums and fox here at night. One time I had a starving coyote polish all but one off. But not since the fence and the new coop. I've had the same flock for two years. My ducks were the casualty(neighbors dogs, broad daylight) that spun off my predator paranoia. You can predator proof successfully.

I've got all of those usual suspects, too. There's a fox den in our ravine. A family of raccoons live in one of our oaks. There us a pair of Coopers hawks and a Red Tailed hawk in our woods. There are 2 owls I've not seen but hear all the time once the sun goes down. There are opossum, too, and a king snake we call Homer. And coyote, bears, and bobcats. And we live in the territory of a wolf and a mountain lion. The wolf is tracked by Fish & Game, and I know she only comes through a couple times a year. But that male mountain lion is here frequently. And we also have trashy neighbors and their 2 dogs up the road.

Keeps us on our toes, that's for sure! Electric and lots of hardware cloth and closed up coop at night.

 

[samanthaoverton]

I've got all of those usual suspects, too. There's a fox den in our ravine. A family of raccoons live in one of our oaks. There us a pair of Coopers hawks and a Red Tailed hawk in our woods. There are 2 owls I've not seen but hear all the time once the sun goes down. There are opossum, too, and a king snake we call Homer. And coyote, bears, and bobcats. And we live in the territory of a wolf and a mountain lion. The wolf is tracked by Fish & Game, and I know she only comes through a couple times a year. But that male mountain lion is here frequently. And we also have trashy neighbors and their 2 dogs up the road.

Keeps us on our toes, that's for sure! Electric and lots of hardware cloth and closed up coop at night.

Unfortunately I have seen a black bear 20 minutes from us too. Bleeding hearts in pigeon forge and Gatlinburg don't want to kill bears. The stupid tourists like the bears. Male bears have to have their own area and so they travel. I feel your pain..and annoyance...I figure if someone is gonna eat my chickens..it is gonna be me. Lol.

 

[Ccort]

I've got all of those usual suspects, too. There's a fox den in our ravine. A family of raccoons live in one of our oaks. There us a pair of Coopers hawks and a Red Tailed hawk in our woods. There are 2 owls I've not seen but hear all the time once the sun goes down. There are opossum, too, and a king snake we call Homer. And coyote, bears, and bobcats. And we live in the territory of a wolf and a mountain lion. The wolf is tracked by Fish & Game, and I know she only comes through a couple times a year. But that male mountain lion is here frequently. And we also have trashy neighbors and their 2 dogs up the road.

Keeps us on our toes, that's for sure! Electric and lots of hardware cloth and closed up coop at night.

I am extremely hesitant about using electric as I dont want kids or other pets getting hurt. I'm trying to predator proof without that.
I I have plenty of hawks but figure they're easy...hardware cloth on the top of the run. I never see coyotes but I know they're around. Raccoons and opposums are my biggest/most common predator. My yard is fenced with a 6 foot fence so no dogs that are not my own.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I am extremely hesitant about using electric as I dont want kids or other pets getting hurt. I'm trying to predator proof without that.
I I have plenty of hawks but figure they're easy...hardware cloth on the top of the run. I never see coyotes but I know they're around. Raccoons and opposums are my biggest/most common predator. My yard is fenced with a 6 foot fence so no dogs that are not my own.

Sounds like you have a solid plan! That HC on top will keep out raccoons and skunks, too. It all has to do with where you live. When I was in a more suburban setting, the only real problem I had was hawks. Now that I live in the woods, it's a whole new ballgame.

 

[Ccort]

Sounds like you have a solid plan! That HC on top will keep out raccoons and skunks, too. It all has to do with where you live. When I was in a more suburban setting, the only real problem I had was hawks. Now that I live in the woods, it's a whole new ballgame.

I'm skeptical about them getting into the coop though.